Opinions on forwarding rollcage to front struts or not?

[8valve-craig]

Basically, fitted a sparco 6 point cage to my nova a few weeks back, Did a good job of it, plating the floor and building towers etc but it was a bit of a rush to get it out on track. Since its last outing ive decided to take the cage out and weld some tabs to bolt it up to the A and B pillars.

I know i should really forward it to the front strut towers too. Any input on this? do it? dont bother?

It goes through the dash anyway so its not a massive job just looks like a bit of a pain in the ass.

[chip]

It would be better for shell stiffness if it did go to the strut tops, wether it would be enough better to actually notice on just a trackday car is another story of course.

[Tathan]

it should do. keep the bars straight if you can and triangulate and gusset them. straight bars are much, much stiffer and you should notice a difference, especially with a decent strut top brace too to pin the whole lot together. Novas aren't exactly renowned for chassis rigidity lol.

[8valve-craig]

Its pretty stiff as it is (no jokes), Just cant help thinking it could be better. Im just imagining the shell moving around the cage with it being just bolted to the floor. im definately going to be tagging it to the shell anyway, just wasnt sure about the leap forward.

Thanks, il strip it out tomorrow and then decide.

[Tathan]

Indeedy...

Untagged cages are gash, stick your fingers in the gaps and go round corners lol. Cage on a trackday car is secondarily a roll cage and primarily a stiffness thing imho, and if it only connects to the floor, it's pretty useless for that.

[dewismotorsport]

Get it attached in as many places as possible IMO

[8valve-craig]

Thanks for all the input lads. spent this morning stripping it out and tagging to the pillars. Decided not to forward to the struts as it seemed just to much work for probably just half a dozen track days a year.











All done then. The car will stay together now, Cant take the cage out even if i wanted to so just hope it did the trick.

By holding the roof / door-top and rocking the car it seems to be a lot stiffer. No more body to cage flex. Again thanks chaps.

[MSG]

opinions differ of course, personally a roller cage is meant for the driver's safety more rather than the rigidity of the chassis, and sure you don't want to transmit forces of impact (God forbids one) but if there was a crash and the front of the car is suppose to crumble and absorb energy so placing bars from strut ttops to join with internal parts of the cage could make the internal cage collapse and possibly hurt the driver.

as i said opinions differ.

[8valve-craig]

Yea theres so much conflicting information out there. For a fast road / track car im happy to leave it how it is now.

Finally though, Ive fitted the feet / towers as per the MSA blue book.....









I dont plan on any competition use, But only did it like this to increase the value of the shell incase i ever decided to sell it. I cant find anything relating to tagging cages to the pillars, Is it in there atall? if not surely 3mm steel tabs, 70mm x 35mm wont be a problem will they.

Are they even required atall? as i say ive only done it for stiffness, theres no safety involved.... Just Hoping its still an MSA legal install.

[mastra]

Tagging cages in is more about what race/rally series you were competing in some allow it some don't, if it's merely track days I wouldn't worry about it. The point of having them forward is to add strength to the cars structure as well as add more protection to the driver area as it gives a space for the engine to be pushed into as well as stop any further intrusion the drivers cockpit. This is also why they cross the bars in the front area as well to make the forces to be able to a follow a path to be distributed down away from the occupants always triangulate any roll cage so that the force passes around the cage. Just don't put any tubes in front of the strut tops down towards the cross member as this does away with any of the above for crumple area's.

[8valve-craig]

Its ok i understand the ins and out of what the extensions do

Im just asking has tagging the cage in made it a less desirable shell, or more..... should it come up for sale.